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December 8, 1945
Dear Mr. Secretary:
When you asked me to go to Rumania and Bulgaria you
instructed me to ascertain whether the interim governments
of those countries were broadly representative in the
sense of the Yalta Declaration, which expressed the con-
viction of the Big Three that a lasting peace could be
based only on fully representative and democratic govern-
ments, and whether the peoples of those countries would
have an opportunity to vote in elections free from coercion
and fear. Under your instructions, our concern was not
with the political complexion of the two governments, but
with their representative character.
I must report to you that, having had conversations
in the two countries with considerably more than three
hundred persons, representing all elements and shades of
public opinion, I do not consider that the government of
either Rumania or Bulgaria is broadly representative of
all democratic elements in the Yalta sense. Furthermore,
I must say in all honesty that both governments are
authoritarian and are dominated by one party, and that
large democratic segments of the populations in both
Rumania and in Bulgaria have been forcibly excluded from
representation in the government, while in Rumania
particularly, former pro-Fascist collaborators and even
some Iron Guardists occupy key positions in the government.
In both countries "front" governments are in power.
In Bulgaria the Fatherland Front, organized in 1942 as a
combination political and partisan resistance movement
operating against the Nazis and the dictatorship of
King Boris, came to power with the overthrow of the
Muraviev cabinet in September 1944. At its inception,
the Fatherland Front movement could indeed have been
considered broadly representative and its announced pro-
gram progressive; it has become much less representative
in the fifteen months of its life. Of the original
parties which constituted the Fatherland Front, only
the Communist and Zveno have retained any semblance of
unity within their own ranks. The prime minister, a
member of the Zveno party, was criticized in his own
party congress for not putting a stop to excesses and
for allowing the government to be dominated by one party.
The
The Honorable
*NATIONAL
James F. Byrnes,
ARCHIVES AND
Secretary of State.
RECORDS
:
SERVICE^<
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"ocrText": "COPY\nDecember 8, 1945\nDear Mr. Secretary:\nWhen you asked me to go to Rumania and Bulgaria you\ninstructed me to ascertain whether the interim governments\nof those countries were broadly representative in the\nsense of the Yalta Declaration, which expressed the con-\nviction of the Big Three that a lasting peace could be\nbased only on fully representative and democratic govern-\nments, and whether the peoples of those countries would\nhave an opportunity to vote in elections free from coercion\nand fear. Under your instructions, our concern was not\nwith the political complexion of the two governments, but\nwith their representative character.\nI must report to you that, having had conversations\nin the two countries with considerably more than three\nhundred persons, representing all elements and shades of\npublic opinion, I do not consider that the government of\neither Rumania or Bulgaria is broadly representative of\nall democratic elements in the Yalta sense. Furthermore,\nI must say in all honesty that both governments are\nauthoritarian and are dominated by one party, and that\nlarge democratic segments of the populations in both\nRumania and in Bulgaria have been forcibly excluded from\nrepresentation in the government, while in Rumania\nparticularly, former pro-Fascist collaborators and even\nsome Iron Guardists occupy key positions in the government.\nIn both countries \"front\" governments are in power.\nIn Bulgaria the Fatherland Front, organized in 1942 as a\ncombination political and partisan resistance movement\noperating against the Nazis and the dictatorship of\nKing Boris, came to power with the overthrow of the\nMuraviev cabinet in September 1944. At its inception,\nthe Fatherland Front movement could indeed have been\nconsidered broadly representative and its announced pro-\ngram progressive; it has become much less representative\nin the fifteen months of its life. Of the original\nparties which constituted the Fatherland Front, only\nthe Communist and Zveno have retained any semblance of\nunity within their own ranks. The prime minister, a\nmember of the Zveno party, was criticized in his own\nparty congress for not putting a stop to excesses and\nfor allowing the government to be dominated by one party.\nThe\nThe Honorable\n*NATIONAL\nJames F. Byrnes,\nARCHIVES AND\nSecretary of State.\nRECORDS\n:\nSERVICE^<"
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